


Between the Lines

by hummingbirdswords



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-25 21:23:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10772703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hummingbirdswords/pseuds/hummingbirdswords
Summary: Unrelated SQ ficlets. Each chapter is a story on its own.Most recent:the one where Emma wears a suit





	1. the one where she runs – literally

**Author's Note:**

> It's been FOREVER and I haven't been able to write anything with an ending all year. So while I try to get back into writing so I can finish my WIPs, I'm working on ficlets (and reminding myself to never write chapters that are more than 10k again). 
> 
> Let it be known that I have not watched season 6 of OUAT. I’ve seen bits and pieces thanks to Twitter, but that’s about it. I’ve chosen to ignore things that are canon because I either don’t know the whole story or it was just a stupid decision and should be ignored anyway. So while most of these will be canon compliant up to a certain point, they most likely will diverge from canon and go their own way. 
> 
> These will also all be unrelated, though you might notice that I have headcanons that will be repeated and are at the base of different fics. Still, as it is, these are fics that will stand on their own.

Emma stopped counting the hours thirty-one exits ago, stopped paying attention to how far they had gotten away from Storybrooke. All she knew was that her grip on the steering wheel no longer made her fingers ache and her chest didn’t feel heavy with every breath she took. She didn’t know where they were or how long she’d been driving. She didn’t care.

 

Very little had been said since she ran on bare feet from her own wedding, her veil falling to the ground as the panic rose to a level she could no longer contain. The room had been full of people, her parents right there, waiting with approving smiles, ready for her to marry _him,_ but it was only Regina and Henry she had seen when everything finally became too much and she felt like she was seconds away from shattering. She needed out, needed to escape, and there was only that small moment where she sought out Regina’s eyes that she stopped to consider what she was about to do before she was kicking off her heels and running – literally running.

 

Her dress had felt as though it was suffocating her, her fingers clawing at the constricting material once she had finally made it outside and she could almost breathe again. The crowd of confused and concerned wedding guests had followed her, but she heard nothing over the rush of her own heartbeat until Henry was at her side, her name on repeat while he tried to still her hands and calm her down. All she could say to him was that she needed to go, her voice shaky, uncontrollably frightened, and Henry just nodded like he understood.

 

Regina had been right there as well, no questions asked, no trying to make her turn around, just _there._ How they ended up in Emma’s car was as much of a blur as the last few months had been, Emma just moving, trying to make it to the next stage before all her doubts and worries and insecurities swallowed her whole. But at some point, after the hours stopped mattering, after there were enough miles driven for her not to need to keep checking, something inside of her clicked, clicked like falling into place, and everything slowed down for the first time in a long time. Everything quieted. Every voice in her head that told her to turn back, every one that told her to keep going, all the conflicting thoughts, the screaming panic inside her, all of it, everything, it all just stopped.

 

She exhaled a heavy breath and then pulled in a new one that felt like a fresh start, like coming up from murky water that she had almost drowned in. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been able to breathe, not pull in oxygen and let it out but _really_ breathe, the kind of thing that took no effort and didn’t burn like fire in her chest. But she finally could again, with Storybrooke and expectations and her own need to please everyone so much that she no longer knew what she wanted far behind her, Emma finally felt like she could breathe.

 

And so she did so with an almost manic laugh, the sound a rumble in the quiet car. It felt freeing. She felt free, no longer like she was weighed down and stuck, no longer trapped. She peeked out the corner of her eye and looked to her right, looked to where Regina was already watching her with an incredibly soft expression on her face. The laughter that was bubbling up from somewhere deep inside of Emma that hadn’t seen light in ages came to a slow stop, trailing off as Emma flicked her eyes up to Regina’s for a second before she turned to the road they had been driving down for hours.

 

“Thank you,” she whispered quietly, the reality of everything from the day crashing all around her and making her realize just how quickly Regina had been there by her side.

 

Regina didn’t respond verbally, but she reached over and placed her hand on top of Emma’s for the briefest of moments and hummed. It was enough. It was _more_ than enough. The moment Regina had followed her out of the church had been enough. Time and time again, Regina kept being there when she needed her, whether she had been able to admit to herself just how much she needed Regina in the past or not. Emma needed nothing more from her, nothing more than what she already had – which was already so much, already felt like everything. She had Regina by her side, and that was enough.

 

They drove in silence for another mile, maybe two, possibly even three. Emma wasn’t counting anymore, and she didn’t think Regina was either. Somehow Regina understood how important it was for Emma to get away without her even having to tell her, without Emma having to spread all her messy emotions out on a table when she wasn’t yet ready for that. Regina understood all that she had not yet said but would, understood that Emma needed space and to feel like herself again. And somehow, even though Emma couldn’t put it into words yet, Regina had known from the moment their eyes met in the church and she ran after Emma that Emma needed her, needed her and their son and nobody else.

 

“Pull over,” Regina said, breaking the quiet to point over to the shoulder just ahead of them.

 

“Huh?” Emma glanced over Regina’s way. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing is,” Regina assured her simply, motioning with her hand for Emma to go over to the right. “Pull over. Give yourself a break and let me take over.”

 

“I’m fine. I can handle the driving,” Emma said automatically, both hands on the wheel while she straightened up in her seat.

 

“Well maybe I want to stretch my legs, then,” Regina said, not even a little bit convincing as she motioned with her hand again and gave Emma a look that suggested there really was only one option and that option was to do as Regina wanted.

 

So, of course, Emma put her signal on and made her way to the shoulder. When she had the car in park, she looked to the backseat, unsurprised to see Henry sleeping, half of his suit neatly folded up on the spot beside him. She took a moment to look at him with the dim light that slipped in through the windshield, felt more than heard herself sigh with what was closer to contentment than the exhaustion she was used to, and then turned slowly so she met the eyes that were, once again, already watching her.

 

“Where would you like to go?” Regina asked quietly, like it was a simple question and Emma wasn’t basically running away without even saying a word to all those they had left behind. She asked like Emma could name any place and she would nod and go along with it, like no place was too far.

 

Emma wondered then if it was true, but she knew she didn’t really need to. Regina had gone to the Underworld for her, traveled across realms, followed after her into an alternate reality without hesitation. What were a few states when she was willing to go to the end of the Earth for Emma?

 

Emma’s chest suddenly felt tight, but it didn’t hurt, didn’t make her feel like she was being crushed by a weight that would eventually break her. Her heart felt full and like it was beating too quickly, but the look in Regina’s eyes as she waited for an answer reminded her everything would be okay. All of it, whatever awaited them when they went back home, whatever was unpacked when she finally let out all the crap she’d been holding inside, and especially the three of them on this impromptu trip they were taking would be all right. She exhaled a breath and let her body relax, let the soft, understanding, patient look in Regina’s eyes ground her, and then she smiled a little.

 

“Anywhere,” she answered, like a freeing breath. “I don’t care, I just... Anywhere.”

 

And, just like Emma had thought she might, Regina nodded and soon took over the wheel, driving farther away from Storybrooke while Emma sat in the passenger seat, no longer in the dress that had felt all wrong, watching Regina and finally feeling like parts of herself she thought she might have lost in recent months were slowly finding their way back to her.


	2. the one where Emma wears a suit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's Day ficlet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found this just hanging out in my opened tabs, and I'm trying to close all the tabs I never close on my laptop so... have a ficlet that should have been posted a month ago.

Regina inspected her handiwork once again with a critical eye, noticing every small detail from the placement of the silverware to the ribbons tied around the twin bottles of champagne on each table. It was all rather elegant, the softest of creams and the most delicate pinks. There weren’t any of the tacky hearts she knew Snow would have strung up if she had left her in charge of decorating for Storybrooke’s Valentine’s Gala, nor any of the garish gold and silver sparklers Zelena had attempted to sneak inside the ballroom when Regina was not keeping a close eye on her sister. Only the best was approved by Regina Mills, and the breathtaking room was proof of that. 

 

The sound of the piano faded away when a warm, familiar voice floated across the room. “If you’re done checking out the room, maybe you might wanna turn around and check me out instead.”

 

Regina’s ruby lips curled into a smirk. She turned on her heel to watch as Emma swaggered into the room, dressed from head to toe in the finest of fabrics, a sleek suit tailored by the very best seamstress in all of Storybrooke. It was Regina’s first time seeing her dressed for the fundraiser, and in the suit altogether; a spike of heat shot through her body and she was glad that they weren’t surrounded by their family at the moment. The sight of her love confidently crossing the room to get to her, a cocky grin and knowing glimmer in her eyes, was something Regina believed should be savored like a fine wine. She did not want to be rushed for the sake of modesty. 

 

Emma looked absolutely ravishing, and Regina did not attempt to shield the appreciation she knew was growing dark in her eyes. Blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, loose curls tumbling over a single shoulder, glossy and neat. She had chosen a bold red lipstick, unlike the softer colors she would usually wear if she decided to do more than her normal chapstick; paired with the grin Emma was still giving her, it was exceptionally delicious. 

 

Emma pulled her hands from the pockets of her slim pants and held them out on either side of herself, presenting herself as she did a full spin with footwork that was clearly practiced. “Now, do I clean up nicely, or do I clean up nicely?” 

 

An almost laugh tickled Regina’s throat. “You look stunning.” She allowed herself another quick once-over and licked her lips, pleasantly warm in the face. “Absolutely divine,” she said in a low husk, ignoring propriety and reaching out for Emma’s skinny tie. Her fingers wrapped around the material and Emma stepped forward when she lightly pulled. 

 

Emma’s hands squeezed around Regina’s hips and their bodies melted together as they so often did, fitting into the empty spaces of the other, held closely. Emma was all grins and shining eyes when she looked at Regina, and in return, Regina was nearly made breathless when she focused all of her attention on the beautiful face in front of her own. 

 

Her love hummed with delight and tipped her head just so, brushing their noses together. “I’m not sure I would be wearing anything like this without your support, so thank you,” she whispered, breath a tickling tease on Regina’s mouth. “And if I didn’t say it enough times before you left me alone to get dressed, you look incredible. You’re going to be the most beautiful person in this room tonight, and I can’t be— _ mmm.” _

 

Regina pressed her mouth to Emma’s to quiet whatever compliments might spill from her soft lips. Emma meant every word of what she said, but Regina also recognized when Emma was attempting to deflect. She might be quite skilled at the art of deflection, but Regina would not let her get away with it this time.

 

When Snow had insisted on going dress shopping for the gala with Emma, Emma had reluctantly agreed despite her displeasure of having to wear a gown—especially the kind her mother would put her in. It was only after the dress had been purchased and Snow had gushed over the sight of Emma in it that Regina had been able to tell that something was off and Emma then admitted that she didn’t feel comfortable in the dress. She didn’t feel comfortable in any dress, she had told Regina, and she didn’t want to wear one. When Regina asked what she would prefer, Emma had thrown out the suggestion of a suit like it had just popped into her head that very moment; Regina knew it had not. 

 

Emma looked dazed and her fair skin was dusted with a natural blush when Regina sucked her bottom lip into the warmth of her mouth and then slowly released it so that she was able to meet Emma’s gaze. Regina smirked proudly and used the pad of her thumb to clean the slightly smudged lipstick at the corner of the blonde’s pouty mouth. Her finger lingered, warm breath against it; she was tempted to lean in and claim another kiss. But she resisted the urge and caressed Emma’s cheek instead with tender fingertips, causing her own heart to flutter from the touch. 

 

“Allow me another look of you, darling.”

 

Softer than silky curls of hair Regina ran her fingers through before taking a step back was Emma’s chuckle. “You really like it? I mean, you’re not just trying to make me feel—” 

 

“Oh, I more than 'like' it. I'm already finding it difficult keeping my hands off of you ,” Regina interrupted, neatly tucking Emma’s tie back into place and fixing her lapels. She slid her hands over Emma's breasts and her ribs, let them follow the slight curves made from waist to hips. She had to curls her fingers into fists to stop herself from getting carried away. “Hmm. Do you know what I think?  _You’re_ going to the most beautiful person in this room tonight. And if you have any doubt that I truly mean that, I can promise that you won’t by the time the night is over and you’ve grown tired of me proudly showing you off to everyone.” 

 

The blush on Emma’s cheeks deepened; her lip was pulled between her teeth, nibbled on. Regina leaned forward and kissed it loose, smiling against Emma’s lips when her love moaned and melted against her, pulling her into her strong arms. She wound her arms around Emma and held her back, wanted her to feel the same support Emma always showed her—even if it currently meant literally keeping her steady and grounded. 

 

“Thank you,” Emma whispered into their kiss. 

 

Regina hummed and pulled away from Emma's mouth, choosing to stay in her arms, only leaning back so she could look her in the eye as she spoke. “Tonight will be an amazing night, no matter the reaction Snow has to your wardrobe choices. I promise you that. I won’t allow it to be any other way.” 

 

Emma grinned at her, the nervousness that had been hidden beneath her confident swagger falling away. “I believe you.” 

 

“As you should. I’m proud to be by your side, and I won’t let anybody ruin tonight for you—especially not your mother.” 

 

Emma appeared flustered and unsure what to say, so she kissed Regina instead, and Regina happily clung to Emma and returned the kiss with enthusiasm. Everything was perfect.


End file.
